He will forever be known as The Greatest.

Muhammad Ali, a sublimely skilled three-time heavyweight champion with unmatched charisma who became a transformative figure because of his personal beliefs, died on Friday at the age of 74.

Ali was taken by ambulance from his Phoenix-area home to a nearby hospital because of respiratory issues on Tuesday and reportedly declined as the days passed. No cause of death was provided by a family spokesman, other than complications with Parkinson’s disease.

The statement read: “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening. The Ali family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support and asks for privacy at this time.”

Ali’s funeral reportedly will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where he earned the nickname the Louisville Lip because of his chirpy personality. A memorial service is planned for Saturday.

Ali, arguably the greatest heavyweight ever, won titles in 1964, 1974, and 1978 and was involved in a number of seminal boxing matches with rivals Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston that an endless stream of documentaries and written pieces have attempted to capture.

Ali was known for his principals and the stands he took outside the ring, such as his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military in 1967 because of his opposition to the Vietnam War. “I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong,” he famously said. Ali’s stance, which he said were based on his Muslim beliefs, made him an unlikely symbol of the tempestuous 1960s. It also caused him to be stripped of his heavyweight title, and he was banned from boxing for three years.

“He was a transformative figure,” said Bob Arum, who promoted more Ali fights than anyone else, including Arum’s first — Ali vs. George Chuvalo — 50 years ago. “He changed a culture and a way of life in the United States and around the world. He was the most significant sportsman ever. He did more to change attitudes and change people’s minds based on race relations and religion and getting along than even Martin Luther King. He will go down in the history books as one of the most important figures of our time.”

Ali’s stylish, even elegant way of boxing endeared him to casual sports fans who marveled at his ability to dance around the ring. His hand and foot speed were unparalleled, giving birth to the Ali shuffle. But it was Ali’s charismatic, playful personality that made him a star and a magnet to an adoring public and produced indelible cultural moments such as his appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show or his amusing clashes with Howard Cosell.

As news of Ali’s death spread, so did the messages of love and appreciation. “Muhammad Ali is a legend and one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, the fighter who ushered in the golden era of boxing and put the sport on the map,” said Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Today, as we reflect on his life, let us remember a man who pursued greatness in everything he did and be inspired to hold ourselves to that same standard. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984 but remained active in his public life, refereeing at the first installment of WrestleMania in 1985. Even after the Parkinson’s became noticeably worse, Ali continued to travel the world on various goodwill missions, visiting Afghanistan in 2002 on behalf of the United Nations. He famously lit the Olympic flame in 1996 in Atlanta at the opening ceremonies. Though his left hand was quivering and his body shook, Ali held the flame aloft to the crowd, ever the showman, and after steadying himself, ignited the flame to rousing applause.

Ali had been in declining health for some time. He was hospitalized on Dec. of 2014 for a severe urinary tract infection that was initially diagnosed as a mild case of pneumonia. Ali was released after more than two weeks in the hospital and was able to celebrate his 73rd birthday at home.

But Ali had looked progressively more frail in public, most recently on April 9 when he appeared at the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in his hometown of Phoenix to raise money for medical care for Parkinson’s.

“We lost a giant today,” said the eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao. “Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefitted from his humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless them.”